posted 04-21-2009 02:37 AM                    

quote: Joe Redifer

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"projection trainer" who must be obeyed and everything must be done his way (such as threading base side on every roller) and other idiotic things.

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quote: Joe Redifer

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Erika and I worked there until August of 2000 and Brad and Dwayne left a month or two later.

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posted 04-21-2009 03:01 PM                    

quote: Grand Poo-Bah

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Are you sure you aren't confusing this with the Mann's Chinese theater in Los Angeles??? That would qualify as a historic theater, not the one in Colorado. The Colorado theater is just a regular multiplex (although done nicer than most) with the front/lobby theme of the real Chinese in Los Angeles.

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quote: ME

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My last experience at the Chinese was way back in the 80's during the 70mm run of "The Right Stuff", and it was a nightmare experience. To start off, the boob in the booth (hereafter known as BITB) was threading the machine with the mag hot and no non-sync. So we got to hear the track from whatever scrap film was being used as the leader. I'm already starting to fume and my sister and best friend are waiting for me to explode.

Showtime comes and goes, the film starts almost ten minutes late. We are greeted with the SMPTE leader and track on the closed drape, which opened barely in time for the start of the show. The focus was soft (corrected after ten minutes) and the sound was missing the left channel (throughout).

Now most theatres I'd been to ran the intermission at the end of reel six, where Deke Slayton dives into the mermaid bar's tank and swims with the girls. Great spot to take the break as there is some nice "deedle-deedle" lounge music, and the next reel opens with reporters climbing a fence to get to the astronaut's wives. Well, at the Chinese some jackass decided to simply cut the film when the platter was full, because the break at the Chinese came at the end of the scene where the astronauts, in full suits, walk up a corridor to the camera (right before Shepard's flight.) This not only destroyed the dramatic impact of that transition, but we were now greeted with the abrupt cutoff of the music, the tail of the reel running out, complete with tones and "Right Stuff, reel Eight AB, Print #... " from the sound system, then white screen.

Now I'm royally pissed as is most of the 300 plus audience. I announced in a loud voice that just one more fuck-up and I'm getting my money back. That was met with a lot of agreement by the rest of the suffering audience.

Well, they didn't let us down. First we AGAIN got to hear the leader being dragged thru the mag, and run up and stopped. The lights dim the picture comes on.. and it an UPSIDE-DOWN image of a trucking shot of some house or pagoda-looking building!! We then hear the last few notes of the music from the preceding scene before we now get the correct image.

As the credit roll started I stormed into the lobby, tailed by about 50 other people, which soon grew to over 200. I read that manager the riot act, and got refunds for the ENTIRE group!!

What a total cock-up. I swore to never go to that over-hyped dump again. And based on Don's post as quoted above, looks like nothing's changed.

If one of the most renowned theatres IN THE WORLD can't do a show right, it's no wonder this industry is so fucked.

I fully blame management for tolerating a BITB, and not doing anything about it. I blame the projection union local for allowing incompetents to remain on the job in such a high-profile location (and I'm NOT anti-union). I just call 'em as I see 'em.

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